Chess grandmaster sues Netflix
Georgian chess grandmaster Nona Gaprindashvili has waged an attack on Netflix over its allegedly defamatory portrayal of her in the Emmy-nominated series The Queen’s Gambit.
The streaming giant, however, insists Gaprindashvili’s “claim has no merit.”
On Thursday, Gaprindashvili sued Netflix for $5 million in California for allegedly “belittling” her achievements as the first woman in chess history to be named a grandmaster.
The Queen’s Gambit — which this year received a whopping 18 Emmy nominations — stars Anya Taylor-Joy as an American chess prodigy who frequently and epically triumphs over her predominantly male competitors.
The lawsuit focuses on a specific scene from The Queen’s Gambit, in which a commentator name-checks Gaprindashvili while narrating a match between protagonist Beth Harmon and fictional Russian Grandmaster Viktor Laev.
“Elizabeth Harmon’s not at all an important player by their standards,” the commentator remarks in the show. “The only unusual thing about her, really, is her sex. And even that’s not unique in Russia. There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, but she’s the female world champion and has never faced men. My guess is Laev was expecting an easy win, and not at all the 27-move thrashing Beth Harmon just gave him.”